


Bus Station Crushes and Nearly Missed Busses

by MarionetteFtHJM



Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - High School, Awkward situations, Awkwardness, Buses, Fluff, Happy Ending, Humor, Lots of buses, M/M, Newt blushes a lot, Newt is a Dork, Newt is crushing harder than a 12 year old girl, Oblivious Newt, POV Third Person, Pining, Some stalking, Teenagers, Teresa is a good bro, Thomas has a lot of energy, Track team Thomas, seriously, theres buses in almost everything I write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-23
Updated: 2015-10-16
Packaged: 2018-04-23 02:56:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4860386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarionetteFtHJM/pseuds/MarionetteFtHJM
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Many people who travel by bus/tram/metro/subway (or any other means of public transport) have that one person (That special person) that they see on most days. That person may be cute, they may have the most amazing eyes you've ever seen or they may be just an ordinary looking human that you find attractive. Most of the population that has that one person never does anything about it, it stays a silent admiriation till that person goes away. This is a story about Newt having that one person and not really doing anything about it until one faithful day and a Madame Bovary essay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Glaring Daggers

**Author's Note:**

> Hello people of the internet  
> Welcome to my first ever Maze Runner fic!  
> Okay so I started this way back last year after I read the first book and watched the first movie. It was going great but then i read the second book and kinda found out what happens later, so I got a little depressed and neglected the whole thing. Now that I have recently watched the second movie, which is not at all like the book, I found myself inspired to finish this.  
> So here, have a five chapter story with the word count of 6969 about a crushing, blushing Newt and an adorable puppy Thomas

There are all sorts of people on the bus you take to school.

There are the coffee morning types of people who start talking as soon as someone familiar approaches them. There are the guys or girls with earphones playing their music so loud that even the people in the 10 meter radius can hear it. Well at least they have earphones; there is always a person that thinks their music taste is so great that he or she has to share it with the rest. This is of course achieved through playing music on his or her phone out loud. There are people who just fall asleep; I’m not talking pretend sleep, I’m talking honest to god snoring. They also have this internal alarm that wakes them up just in time for the bus to stop where they get off. I admire those ones; I would surely just miss my stop. There are people like me, who just quietly sit there and observe everything and mentally prepare for school and the torture ahead. There are the busy bodies that always have some notebook or a stack of papers in front of them, studying and being generally productive. Then there’s that one guy, your friends like to call your destined love, you know too much about.

* * *

 

"There is no sense in angsting over him if you're just gonna stare at him silently and not plan to make a move." Teresa said pointedly.

Newt shushed her, "I thought we agreed not to talk about this in the bus."

"Seriously Newt, you spend 20 minutes each morning staring at him. I bet you could write a 500 word essay just about his eyes." Teresa smirked.

That was the sad thing. She was right, and he was starting that essay mentally as they spoke.

Newt blushed, "That is so not true, besides- it’s not each morning." He said even though he already had 150 words in his head.

“Whatever you say Newt,” She hummed and put her earphones in- but on moderately high volume.

Newt looked up to see the tall, dark, and handsome person of interest staring blankly out the window. He sighed inwardly, why is his brain this stupid. After last year’s brief crush, that lead to his heart skipping a beat every time the guy was around, he should have known better. Newt can’t really pinpoint the exact moment when it turned from ‘hot bus guy’ to ‘crush’. He supposed it was because he spent his mornings staring at the mop of brown hair that bounced as the bus hit the bumps on the road.  It was a year ago that Newt first noticed him. The guy with the ridiculously clear brown eyes and messy hazel hair was named ‘hot bus guy’ after he sent off a message to Teresa saying that he had seen him.

Teresa of course, being the nosey teen that she is, requested a picture. Newt had sneakily, and guiltily, taken one with his phone. It was a warm autumn day- the kind that is more summer than autumn, and Newt has regretted taking that picture ever since. He had been wearing a striped t shirt and skinny jeans that looked painted on him. Each day his interest in the mysterious boy grew, and the boy didn’t help at all. He was one of those people that smile at everything but when he laughed, Newt's insides did a summersaults. His hair is a little longer than it was then but it’s as equally adorable and messy. Eventually, after a month of pinning, Newt did some facebook stalking he was not proud of and found out that his name was Thomas. During this year Newt has learned a lot about Thomas.

Silly facts like, he goes to school at the other end of town and he has to take the tram to get there. Or that he's on the track team or that his best friend is a guy named Minho. Or even where he lives, small stuff like that. It’s not that Newt prides himself on his investigating (‘it’s not stalking’ he keeps saying) skills, but it does take a lot to find out stuff about a person if you only know him by his looks. So he did what every star-struck teen would do. He entered the land of facebook and began his search. After only a few (hundreds) profiles searched he had found him. He had felt guilty, but kind of happy that he could report something back to Teresa. That was a colossal mistake; he didn’t even know why he told her. She was his best friend but he'd have better luck keeping this a secret if he told Chuck or Gally. Eventually she did tell Chuck and Gally, then Gally told Alby and Alby told Winston. Not soon after, all of his friends knew.

Newt noticed other things as well, like Thomas’ bus schedule. That on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays he goes to the bus at the same time as Newt and Teresa. That on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays he goes home at the same time newt does.

Pretty soon he was mentally ticking off every passed bus stop till Thomas’. Newt had it bad; every time the bus would approach the dreaded stop- Newt got that sinking feeling in the depths of his stomach that some people call butterflies. Newt called it regret, because it was eating at him each time he remembered Thomas or his smile, or even his voice.

Said voice was suddenly talking loudly next to him. Newt looked to the side and saw Thomas talking to a random girl. He was pretty sure he was staring at them without blinking.

Teresa nudged him, “Stop glaring daggers at the poor girl- she’s done nothing.”

He looked away and turned to his friend. “It’s not the girl I’m starin’ at,” Newt mumbled quietly. He turned his gaze back to his subject of pinning just to see Thomas look back at him. If there was one thing he hated, it was awkward eye contact. He felt his cheeks flame up and he quickly took out his phone to pretend-text.

Teresa could barely contain her laughter, she made a choked off sound then disguised it as a cough.

Newt was  screwed.


	2. Delicate Balance of The Universe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yooooo, here I am again, gracing you with another chapter- wooo!   
> So next one will be up next Sunday probably, stay tuned. Thank you for the support, lovely commenters! I'm glad people can somewhat relate to this.   
> This chapter is pretty easy going but after this things happen heh

 

“I had the weirdest buggin’ dream last night,” Newt started as they waited for the bus- it was Tuesday, so his day would be a little easier.

Teresa hummed, “How so?”

“You’re gonna laugh,” Newt blushed and looked at the floor.

“Of course I am, it’s you- I laugh at everything you say, you’re a riot.” She slapped him on the back and he stumbled forward a bit.

Newt rolled his shoulder and his eyes. “Here goes nothing. There was this huge place that was some sort of field, I don’t even know. I was there, so were Alby and Chuck and Gally- but so was Thomas.” Newt added the last part silently.

“What about me?” Teresa quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Um, you weren’t there, just us guys.” Newt fiddled with his hoodie draw-cord.

“Sounds gay,” She grinned- her white teeth almost shining in the morning sun.

Newt snorted, “Wow- movin’ on. Thomas and this character Minho were runnin’ through this giant maze-”

“I thought it was a field?” She looked at him curiously.

“Yeah, yeah- but the field was surrounded by a bloody maze covered in vines and other klunk.” Newt motioned with his hands, making a circle and explaining the maze layout.

“Are you sure I want to hear about that?” Teresa stepped out of his hands’ reach to avoid any injuries.

“Ya know what, forget it.” Newt huffed and looked down the road. “Bus,” He said- loud enough so that everybody would hear him. It was a well known bus station courtesy, so that the other passengers would know to get ready. Everybody stopped what they were doing and took a spot along the station- they judged where the bus would stop; who got it right got to enter the bus first. 

This time it was Teresa, she pumped her fist in the air as she skipped the first step and entered the bus. She greeted the bus driver politely and took a seat somewhere in the middle. Newt frowned at her; she was sitting next to the window.

She looked up at him happily, then her face fell and she gave him an annoyed eye roll. “Right, forgot- Mr. I sit near the window because reasons.” She said as she got up and let Newt slide to the window seat.

Newt grumbled silently, “You know my bloody reasons well.”

“Oh I do, it’s so that you can see Thomas before he enters the bus.” She poked him in the side.

“Shut it woman, ya never know who’s listenin’.” Newt looked around suspiciously.

“Of course,” She straightened her back and looked off into the distance, “Trust no-one, and doubt everything.”

Newt nodded, “That’s right.” He looked out the window and enjoyed the short-lived silence that ended with the next stop. Newt and Teresa were lucky in the bus aspect, their stop was the first and not many people lived in that part of town. They got to take the bus first and find good seats before the whole thing fills up with students from all around.

Several minutes passed and even though it was Tuesday, Newt tensed as they approached Thomas’ bus stop. He sighed with relief as he saw that Thomas wasn’t at the bus stop. Teresa had acquired the same habit as he so she was looking out the window over his shoulder.

“Is that?” She nodded her head up the road; Newt thanked her silently for being inconspicuous. 

Newt looked to where her gaze was pointed and took a sharp intake of breath. Thomas was running down the road, seemingly hurrying to catch the bus.   
Newt tilted his head, “But- it’s Tuesday.”

Teresa out right laughed, “He’s not gonna make it.” 

“How is he bloody late, he lives three houses down from the bus stop?” Newt whispered harshly.

Teresa continued laughing, “I don’t know but it’s hilarious.”

The boy did, in fact, make it to the bus. He was huffing loudly as he thanked the bus driver for waiting. He smiled brightly at the guy that greeted him, the guy said something like ‘How are you always late?’.

 Newt smirked at Teresa’s impressed expression.   
“Well, he _is_ on the track team.” He pointed out and Teresa shook her head.

* * *

 

“I don’t understand, it’s Tuesday!” Newt threw his hands up in the air dramatically. They were entering the classroom; chemistry first period was never a good thing.

“Congratulations Newt, you know the days of the week!” Gally patted him on the back.

 Newt shook his hand off, “Not today, ya shank.” He said grimly.

Gally turned to Teresa to ask but she beat him to it.   


“His delicate bus schedule theory was altered.” She put a hand on her hip and brought a hand to her mouth, she shouted out. “He doesn’t get that people are sometimes late to the bus and that not everybody is as predictable as he is!”

Gally snorted, “What a slinthead.”

Teresa slapped his shoulder, “I’d like to see you in love, you idiot. It’s not easy,” She glared not so subtly at the boy.

They could hear Newt groan, “I’m not in _love_ , you two know jack.” He said the ‘L’ word with much despise as he could.

“Whatever you say Newt.” His bench buddy (as Chuck liked to call them), Alby, said. “It ain’t like you got his name scribbled all over your notebooks or anything.” The dark skinned boy added loudly.

“You’re not helpin’, you buggin’ idiot.” Newt grumbled and lowered his head, his fair hair falling into his eyes.

“Not trying to help,” Alby patted his back.

“Why is everybody patting my back? It’s not like my dog died and I need your condolences!” He said angrily, causing Alby to make a hasty retreat. “You’re acting like a bunch of grievers, just let me be- I’m not some lovesick puppy, ya know?” He finished his angry rant and looked at the stunned crowd.

Chuck started the slow clap and soon everybody was joining him.

“Guess he’s not so predictable.” Gally smirked at Teresa who was grinning widely at Newt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are great!


	3. Madame Bovary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! It is my pleasure to say: have another chapter early! Because I have had the whole week free and did absolutely nothing since tuesday but watched Teen Wolf and I'm super happy. The school is doing the whole strike thing because their paychecks have been cut down and nobody has had to go to school this week. So with nothing to do I couldn't wait for sunday to update.  
> Thanks to everybody who left kudos, comments and bookmarks and even everybody that read the story but is a silent admirer of my work! I love you all!

Newt was late for the bus, Newt of all the people. He was the most punctual person he knew! But that’s what happens when you write an English essay the last two periods.  
Even his messy scrawl wasn’t fast enough, the Madame Bovary essay required more time and less words- seriously, he barely read it, how was he gonna write a 500 word essay about it?

Of course, being the last one into the bus meant that he would have to stand. He would have sighed but he was too busy panting and running. He almost got hit by a car crossing the road near the stop. He waved to the driver to open the doors and apologized for making them wait. He looked up to see everyone in the bus staring at him; he lowered his head and moved forward. To be fair, he couldn’t really move forward that much because the bus was already too full. So he settled on making two small steps so he wasn’t standing in front of the bus door.

He felt his phone vibrate in his front pocket; he jumped a little but remained calm. Fishing it out was going to be a struggle. He took a step back from the person in front of him and turned to the side to avoid any accidental touching.

It was a message from Teresa: ‘ _You’re funny when you run.’_

He looked up from his phone and looked to the back of the bus. He could see her grinning at him. He glared at the girl with all his might, he sent off a brief text saying ‘ _Bugger off_ ’.

The next thing he knew, he was being hit with a little thing he liked to call _instant-karma_.Newt let go of the bus seat he was clutching in order to put his phone away. Just as he placed his phone into the pocket the bus hit a pothole and skidded down the road for a few meters. Newt, of course- since he wasn’t holding onto anything, lost his balance and ended up tumbling backwards. Oh, how he pitied the person that got a lapful of his lanky self.

“Whoa there,” Newt froze. He could feel the damn phone vibrating in his front pocket, _Teresa_ he thought absently. He muttered a quiet ‘shuck’ before he turned his head.

Two clear brown eyes were mere inches away from his own, looking at him expectantly.  
_Thomas,_ Newt almost said out loud- he will later thank God that he didn’t.

“Shit, I am so, _so_ sorry.” Newt muttered and avoided eye contact, his face was beet red. He struggled to get up, since the bus was still moving. He felt two hands close around his waist and give him a light push.

“It’s okay, can’t say I was expecting it, though.” Thomas replied idly.

Newt, whose face was still redder than a cherry, fixed his shirt and straightened his messenger bag. “I really am sorry,” He blushed as he said it then- since the bus had apparently cleared out (how long did it take him to get up, anyway?)- made the trek to the back where Teresa was laughing her ass off.

“Oh my God, that was so priceless!” She exclaimed excitedly but quietly. “I didn’t know you gave free lap dances!” She punched his shoulder.

Newt groaned and planted his forehead on the seat in front of him. “I am so done with everything. I won’t be able to show my bloody face near him ever again. My life is over.”

“You’re such a drama queen, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind another lap dance sometime in the future.” She threw her head back and laughed some more. She usually has an infectious laugh but Newt couldn’t bring himself to join her. This was so fucked up; Newt pulled his beanie over his face and groaned in despair.

* * *

 

“So then, Newt went all Magic Mike on him and landed into his lap!” Teresa’s laughter could probably be heard all over the school. Gally and Alby joined her laughter while Chuck just stood there looking stunned.

“Newt, I had no idea! When were you going to tell us?” Gally was holding his stomach; his pug face was as red from laughter as Newt’s was from embarrassment.

“I swear to God, if you tell one more person!” Newt pointed his finger to Teresa’s face threateningly.  

“You should have seen him this morning! He even sat on another spot because he wanted to avoid the poor guy!” She said dramatically, like it was a big deal.

And it was true; Newt had chosen a different spot this morning. One where no one could see him blush like crazy when they approached Thomas’ bus stop.

“Oh no, Newt’s order had been disturbed!” Gally was pushing his luck, if only Newt had the will to punch the idiot.

“World without order means chaos.” Newt muttered quietly.

“What’s the fun in that?” Teresa shook his shoulder.

“Have to go with Newt on this one, things work better with order.” Alby crossed his, frankly huge, arms over his chest.

“You two are no fun at all,” Gally pouted.

“Man, I thought you were usually ugly- this is a whole new level of fugly.” Alby made a face and Gally charged at him. Even the other pupils stopped what they were doing to look at them.

His attack was short-lived since the teacher cleared her throat from behind them. Alby, who had Gally in a head lock, smiled sheepishly and let go of the teen. He smoothed down Gally’s hair and retreated to his seat while Gally just glared at everyone.

Newt, for one, was glad that all the attention wasn’t pointed at him anymore. He sighed heavily and flopped down into his chair. He pulled out his psychology notebook and started doodling little mazes in the margins.

* * *

Considering he avoided Thomas yesterday, he was safe to sit in his usual spot today, even more so since this was hardly anyone’s bus time- only; he found that it was taken. People would think that, having the entire half empty bus at his disposal, it wouldn’t matter. Newt’s mood was already sour and he wasn’t even in school yet. He was, no doubt, in for another day of merciless teasing.

He was staring out the window, the houses and trees passed in a blur- the bus was going fairly fast. The sky was dark with the morning clouds that promised rain. Newt was so consumed by the sky that the fact that they had reached Thomas’ bus stop hadn’t even registered with the brooding teen. Newt huffed and looked to the door as it opened.

Suddenly it was as if the sky had cleared out at the sight of the brown-haired boy. Thomas stepped into the vehicle illuminated by the suddenly there rays of sunshine. Newt’s breath caught in his throat and he looked away. ‘ _If you don’t look, maybe he’ll go away_ ’ he thought desperately.

“Is this seat taken?” The subject of his recent fantasies asked all of a sudden.

Newt looked around the bus stunned, there were _unoccupied_ bus seats all over the bus and Thomas was asking him for a seat.

“Uh, no, feel free.” Newt managed after a couple of seconds. ‘ _Oh no, he’s gonna bring up the incident’_ He thought helplessly.

Thomas smiled brightly and sat down majestically. “Thanks.”

Newt tried to make himself as small as possible, which was quite the task. He sat as close to the window as possible without it looking like he though Thomas had a contagious disease. ‘ _Maybe he doesn’t remember_ ,’ Newt thought about his earlier dilemma.

“Hey, aren’t you the lap dance kid from other day?” Thomas asked with hidden mirth in his voice.

Newt groaned and dropped his head to the window. “You remember” It pained him to admit it but it’s not like he had a choice.

“It’s kinda hard to forget something like that, yanno?” The brunette chuckled.

“Again, I am _so_ sorry.” Newt sneaked a glance at Thomas. The boy was looking at him with an amused face, no disgust or despise to be seen. Newt guessed that was a good thing.

“Hey, it’s not a big deal. Usually, I’d let you buy me dinner before I let you sit on my lap but it was an accident; could happen to anyone.” Thomas grinned.

Newt went beet red and coughed awkwardly, “Yeah, well- sorry, for what it’s worth I don’ sit on people’s laps till at least the third date.” He replied shakily. ‘ _Oh God, I’m making it worse’._

Thomas laughed at that, rather loudly, successfully capturing the attention of the people in the bus. “I’m Thomas, by the way.” He held out a hand.

Like Newt hadn’t already known that for the past year and a half.

He feigned ignorance and shook Thomas’ hand. “I’m Newt,” He smiled weakly.

“Newt,” Thomas repeated, “Nice to officially meet you after seeing you around so much.” The teen smiled cheekily.

Newt’s eyes went wide, had Thomas actually noticed him? Oh God, what if he knew Newt was creeping on him every chance he got. “Seeing me around?” He asked in wonder. This couldn’t be real; things like this don’t bloody happen to Newt. 

“Yeah, this isn’t your usual bus time, is it?” Thomas went on. So Thomas _had_ noticed Newt. He couldn’t decide if that was good or bad.

“No, s’ not. Didn’t have the first few classes today.” Newt shrugged casually, but on the inside he was freaking out. He had to text Teresa.

“Ah, love it when that happens! Always feels like Christmas morning.” Thomas smiled happily, like there wasn’t a place in the world he would rather be at.

Newt’s palms were sweaty where he was clutching the edge of his hoodie. “So very true,” He hummed. He was honestly amazed that his body could function at all right now. He was overheating from the sheer proximity of himself to his crush, he wondered idly if he would faint. ‘ _Might as well, you’ve already given him a show once’_ an unhelpful voice inside his head supplied.

The bus came to a halt and Thomas got up, “This is our stop,” He offered Newt a hand, like the blond wasn’t capable of getting up on his own- which he frankly doubted he was. Newt accepted it after he subtly wiped his palm on his jeans. Thomas pulled him up and Newt must have been lighter than the boy anticipated because Newt came chest-to-chest with the other boy. “I’ll see you around, Newt” Thomas winked and darted out the bus to catch the oncoming tram.

“I’ll see you around,” Newt murmured to no one as he looked out the window stunned.

“You getting out or nah?” The bus driver looked at him curiously from behind her glasses. 

He startled from his happy stupor and nodded furiously, he left the bus feeling a little light headed and numb.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda feel bad that my comment replies also go into the count, but what can you do? Stay tuned!


	4. Snowball's Chance in Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg omg omg guys I can't. Thank you for all the kudos! And the comments! You guys are the loveliest and I can't! *dies so much* I wasn't expecting such a positive feedback but omg I'm so happy you like it! So here's another chapter, 4/5 sadly the next one will be the last!   
> Enjoy

“You will never guess what happened!” Newt threw down his bag next to Teresa who had been sitting peacefully at their shared desk.

She startled, “Jeesh Newt, warn a girl next time. What happened?”

“Guess,” Newt grinned happily; on his way to school the events of the morning had finally set in and he couldn’t have been happier.

“You know I hate it when you do that,” She sighed, “Pigs started flying? Hell froze over?” She gave an amused chuckle at his frown.

“No, but bloody close. I talked to Thomas!” He sat down excitedly but quickly got up because he was bursting with nervous energy.

“Wow, never would have guessed that. Snowball’s chance in Hell, maybe; but that, never.” She crossed her arms as she observed the other teen. He was all over the place with his fiddling hands and bouncing leg.

“It was embarrassing, oh so embarrassing but also wonderful!” Newt sighed dreamily.

“What’s up with lover boy over there?” Gally strutted into the classroom and sat on Teresa’s desk.

“He talked to Thomas,” She said as she shooed his butt off of the table.

“Like to the real thing or the imaginary one that lives in his fantasies?” Gally arched an obnoxious eyebrow.

“You are bloody lucky I’m in such a good mood ya shank, otherwise I would have kicked your shank ass.” Newt said in a sing song voice with a maniacal grin on his face.

“Okay, now _that_ was scary.” Gally admitted and backed away slightly.

“Spill” She said loudly.

So Newt did, he told her everything. From how his morning had been shitty, to the little wink Thomas had sent him before he left. He barely managed to tell her the ending before the professor came in.

She looked at all the people gathered around Newt’s desk curiously. Her pony tail swished as she walked over to them.

Newt noticed her and noticed that everyone was still talking at the same time, loudly, so he tried to shush them and make them go away, but his friends were too interested in his love life.

She cleared her throat and soon the bunch of people gathered around his desk scurried away. He looked up at her sheepishly.

She smiled at him and flicked her green and white scarf around her neck, “Your essays,” She proceeded to hand them out personally.

The rest of the lesson passed in a blink of an eye as far as Newt was concerned. As a matter of fact, the rest of the day was a little fuzzy as well.

* * *

 

They were waiting at the bus stop impatiently. This time, the bus was late.

“There better be a bloody good reason why the bus is late or I’ll be snappin’ necks.” He muttered to Teresa darkly.

She nodded in agreement, she opened her mouth to say something but instead her eyes went wide and she was left gaping and looking like a fish. She finally closed her mouth, smiled and went to talk to Harriet (one of her many friends because “ _Yes, Newt, I actually have friends outside of school”)_ who was standing farther away.

Newt watched her curiously when he felt a nudge of an elbow to his ribs. He turned around and was greeted by familiar brown eyes and an honest grin.

“Hi” Thomas smiled warmly. Newt startled back a little but Thomas caught him before he could fall. Thomas laughed, “Seems like I’m always saving you,” He said as he let Newt find his footing.

‘ _If you weren’t so damn attractive you wouldn’t have to be saving me_ ’ he thought rebelliously. “Yeah, well, I’m grateful,” He smiled weakly.

“So, how was your day?” Thomas asked casually as he rocked back and forward on his feet.

Newt looked at him, the imaginary three question marks popped above his head, was he for real? Newt suddenly wished he had payed more attention today. “Good I guess, yours?”

Thomas’ smile grew wider, as if that was even possible. “I had a blast!” he exclaimed cheerily.

_‘Seriously? Who has a blast in school? Is he even real?’_ Newt couldn’t help but wonder. “Oh? How so?” He asked politely and schooled his face to look less suspicious and more friendly and genuinely interested in the conversation. Once again, on the inside he was freaking out. He couldn’t help but remember that one episode of _SpongeBob._

“We had a race with the track team, Minho won second place and I won first! We competed with the school from two towns over. They all sucked.” He grinned and pulled out a medal.

Newt took several seconds to process this. Thomas was indeed carrying an additional bag along with his school one. He didn’t look sweaty or dead tired like he was supposed to. In fact, he resembled a happy puppy that had gotten a new toy.

“That’s really cool,” Newt took a bold step forward and took the medal in his hand; he turned it over a couple of times. “You must be very good” He commented.

“I am,” Thomas said proudly, “You should come watch sometimes.” He threw in like he was asking Newt what time is it.

“I,” Newt looked up at Thomas’ puppy eyes and nodded, “Yeah, sure. Just tell me when and I’ll be there.” He smiled a little; the boy’s joy was contagious.

“Awesome, next week” Thomas pulled out a piece of paper with something scribbled on it and held it out for Newt.

Newt looked at it curiously before taking it; it was the address where the race would be held. He blushed slightly, “You came prepared,” he said- not really looking up at Thomas who was rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

“Well, was sorta hoping to run into you again today,” He said then laughed, “run, funny.”

Newt watched him laugh at his own bad pun and couldn’t help but fall even further for him. “I’ll make sure I’m not late, then. Wouldn’t want to disappoint,” He said calmly. This was it, he was going to die.

“Great! Oh, the bus is coming,” Thomas said and nudged Newt in front of himself to stand closer to the road.

The sidewalk was suddenly too narrow for Newt, he could feel Thomas behind himself- he bet all his life savings that he was as red as a tomato right now.

It must have been his lucky day because the bus stopped right in front of him. “Sorry for the wait kids; got a flat tire on the way over.” It was the same bus driver from earlier and she looked like she’d been through hell. Her black hair was all over the place and she had smudges all over her face and clothes. “Had to change that before continuing.”

Newt wasn’t sure it was even possible to change a bus tire without professional help, he shrugged off the thought as he got into the bus first and spied a free seat near the middle. He made quick work of getting to it.

Once he sat down he noticed that Thomas has unceremoniously plopped down next to him like he owned the place. What he also noticed was Teresa, who glared at him as she was left standing. 

He smiled, somewhat evilly, at her. Can’t please everybody. He looked over to Thomas who was humming to himself happily. They didn’t speak for the rest of the bus ride except for when Thomas was about to leave the bus. He threw a casual “I’ll catch ya around” with the cheeky wink at Newt who was left red as a pepper. He was running out of red things to compare himself to.

Teresa was not amused once she finally sat down next to him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *gushes endlessly*


	5. The Finish Line

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *wipes tears away* Guys I'm sad to say that this is the last chapter. Once again thank you all for the a*maze*ing support! This had been fun to write and I will try to come up with something for this fandom in the near future, just need to get my creative juices flowing. I can't even, over 70 kudos asdfgkhl  
> So without further ado, the end chapter.

Newt was never into sports, of any kind. Nope, not even badminton or lacrosse. Okay, occasionally swimming but come on, can you blame him? So come Sunday, when he was supposed to go attend the race, he was a nervous wreck.

“Relax, goddamn it! You’ll be fine, running isn’t like other sports. It’s gonna be short and fun, you’ll get to see Thomas in short shorts, in all his glory!” Teresa tried to reason with him. It was to no avail, anxiety had already started to eat away at him.

It was half an hour before he was supposed to get going, he had already changed five outfits and Teresa was so done with him. She was sitting on his bed and scrolling through something on her phone.

Newt came out of the walk in closet wearing a light blue button down shirt with short sleeves and black skinny jeans. “I give up,” He flailed his arms and plopped down onto the bed face first.

Teresa ran a hand through his hair, “Newt, sweetie, you look good in whatever you wear. I know, I help you buy your clothes. Just go with what you’re wearing now, you’ll knock him off his feet with your charm and accent anyway.”

“You’re no help whatsoever,” He muttered as he got up to put on a pair of black Vans.

“Yes, but we’re friends none the less. I believe that you can do this and that you are gonna go there and sweep him off his feet. It’s gonna help that he’ll probably be tired from the running.” She smiled and got up to fix his hair.

“But I hate sports!” He protested loudly.

“But you like Thomas,” She raised an eyebrow.

“Fair point.” He huffed.

“Now, go get ‘em tiger!” She said and started pushing Newt out of the room.

“But I don’t need to be there for another-“ He started to say but they were already down the hall.

“I said: go get ‘em!” She said sternly and finally managed to shove him out of his own house.

‘ _Great, exiled from my own house’_ He thought bitterly as he slowly walked towards the bus stop.  

* * *

 

Newt arrived to the track early, of course he did. But better safe than sorry though, at least this way he could pick his seat in the bleachers. There were already a few people gathered here and there and he spotted a familiar face sitting in the second row.

He quickly made his way over to her, “Brenda!” He said happily. He was relieved that he wouldn’t have to be alone and awkward.

“Newt?” She asked confused but her face soon split into a grin. “Newt! I haven’t seen you in ages! Hey!” She pulled him into a hug.

“Hi Brenda, ya look good.” He smiled at her. She wasn’t his first choice in company but she was nice, he hadn’t seen her in a while though. She moved to another town a couple of years ago and they just lost touch.

“Aw, that’s sweet. So do you, how come you’re here? I remember you hating any form of sport. You become a fan while I was gone?” She flipped her hair over her shoulder and revealed a little more cleavage than necessary.

“Oh bloody hell no, I still hate it but I’m here to- uh, support a friend.” He chose his words wisely; she was a bit of a blabber mouth.

“Must be one hell of a friend to get you here, I recall you didn’t even come to watch Teresa play tennis while she still trained.” She smiled, showing all of her pearly white teeth.

Newt nodded, “Yeah, and speaking of- why might you be here?” He diverted the subject onto her, if there was something she loved more than gossip it was talking about herself.

“Here to cheer my team, of course!” She responded gleefully.

“Guess we’re on opposite sides then,” He said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

She looked out at the track and he did the same. “Guess so” She said a little dazed as the runners came out to do some stretching and practice runs.

Newt spotted Thomas immediately and the other boy must have been searching for him because it didn’t take long before Thomas was jogging over and leaning on the railing.

“Hey, happy you made it!” He said cheerfully.

“Of course I made it, wouldn’t miss it for the world” Newt responded lightly even thought his heart was beating a mile a minute.

“Glad to hear that, I’ll talk to you after the run. Gotta jet now,” Thomas said and started running backwards.

“Good luck,” Newt threw after him, Thomas waved before turning around.

Brenda let out a low whistle, “One hell of a friend, indeed.”

Newt went red as a stop sign (seriously running out of things) and hid his face in his hands a little. “Shuddup,” He mumbled as she laughed and patted his back.

* * *

 

The bleachers filled out with people soon after that, it was ridiculous- who even watched this thing. Well, he guessed he did but he had ulterior motifs.

“So, about your _friend_ ” Brenda said. It honestly surprised him that she had kept quiet as long as she had.

The crowd was fairly loud already so Newt faked momentary hearing loss and shook his head while pointing to his ear.

The runners chose that moment to appear; today the track team was participating in a relay race and some other athletics. Of course the other athletics had the advantage and Newt had to suffer through that before he got a chance to see Thomas in action.

So he watched and occasionally cheered when some amazing turn of events and tables appeared. Thomas’ school had won first place in hurdle, second place in the long jump, second place in the 3000 meter run (courtesy of Minho) and first place in the 400 meter run. Several schools were competing in the competition but none were quite as good as the three schools that had most of the medals.

Newt was amused so far, it wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be. He ought to give the Olympic a try next year.

And finally, after a while the relay race was going to take place. Newt was pumped and cheered loudly along with Brenda and everybody else when the teams took their positions. Newt saw Thomas look at him and grin before getting ready. It was a _Sprint Medley Relay_ as Brenda had informed him and Thomas was the anchor of the team, the fastest so he was last to run the longest leg.

The runners at the front got ready as the announcer started the countdown. At the sound of a gun, which frankly startled Newt, they were off. The crowd was on its feet and cheering loudly. It looked like Brenda’s team was going to win up until they handed the baton to the last runner. Thomas took off at an alarming speed as he surpassed the opponents. He was first to the finish, winning his team yet another medal.

Newt had never cheered so hard in his life. He saw Thomas get on the pedestal and snapped a picture of it to send it to Teresa. Thomas was grinning at him when he lowered the phone and Newt went red but he could blame it on the excitement this time.

* * *

 

He waited for Thomas next to the bleachers as the people cleared out one by one, still high on the second-hand adrenalin that came with the race. Newt was bouncing up and down, unable to keep still. He said goodbye to Brenda a while ago with the promise of calling her some time or sending her a message via facebook.

“Yooo,” Unexpectedly, Newt was being hugged from behind and lifted off the ground by a pair of strong arms that were beginning to feel familiar. He smelled like green apples and sunshine, he must have been fresh out of the shower (and there’s an image).

Newt laughed, “Hello to you too.”

“Now wasn’t that awesome, did you see how cool I was?” Thomas clapped his hands excitedly. Newt was really starting to like this happy puppy Thomas more and more.

“That was some majestic runnin’ there, I’m impressed.” Newt shoved his hands into his pockets and grinned at his companion.

“I’m so glad you were there to see it! I’ve never run so fast; think I broke my own record!” Thomas was still vibrating with the adrenalin.

“Lucky I have an eye of a hawk, otherwise I wouldn’t have even seen you.” Newt said to humor him, he was glad he had been able to see this- no matter how much it pained him to leave the comfort of his own room.

“I know, right?” He laughed loudly, unrestrained and beautiful. Newt thought he was going to cry from sheer joy. “I’m glad you enjoyed, wasn’t really sure if you were the sport type.” Thomas settled down somewhat. He scratched his arm awkwardly.

“I assure ya I’m bloody not, but this was very amusing and interestin’ to watch. I liked it,” Newt nudged him with his shoulder.

“That’s good to hear,” Thomas smiled, a little subdued compared to his earlier giddiness.

“Something wrong?” Newt asked, concerned.

“Uh, no- I just, I was gonna ask you something but I ran out of nerves and the adrenalin rush is starting to wear off.” Thomas looked to the side, for the first time he looked a little unsure of himself.

“Do it, ask me,” Newt straightened and looked Thomas in the eye- which was hard to do since he seemed to be avoiding looking at Newt.

“Do you wanna, maybe go out with me some time?” Thomas finally looked at him.

Newt smiled, “Tommy, I just sat through two hours of sports for you, of course I’ll go out with you.” He finished, proud that he could say that without stuttering and looking like a dufus.

“Oh thank God,” Thomas heaved a sigh, “Was afraid you’d punch me in the face or something.”

Newt snorted, “What, do I really look like I would be capable of such thing?”

“I don’t know and I don’t want to find out.” He said and bravely took Newt’s hand into his own. “Come on, I’ll take you on a date unlike you’ve ever been on.”

* * *

 

Thomas took him to the supermarket where they watched lobsters fight in the lobster tank.

Newt was so doomed but he was strangely okay with it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't say how sad I am to finish this especially after all the great feedback. But, all good things must come to an end. Read some of my other stuff if you'd like, and you can come fangirl with me at my tumblr at nodeathcantouchthecrookedyoung08.tumblr.com


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